DBD LIMITED: DEMONSTRATION OF PROOF OF CONCEPT OF A NOVEL ENGINEERED TRITIUM BARRIER TO REDUCE WASTE MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES IN DIVERSE NUCLEAR FUSION PROCESSING OPERATIONS.

毫无疑问，世界必须找到新的、经济的、可持续的方式来满足居民不断增长的能源需求。到世纪末，全球能源消耗量将增加两倍。世界仍然依赖化石燃料来满足高达90%的能源需求（Worldwatch.org，2013年），然而，从2015年起，它们的发电供应将缓慢下降，到目前为止，很少有安全和环保的替代品可以取代它，尽管可再生能源的替代品正在开发中，但核聚变发电可以提供几乎取之不尽的前景作为一种发电方法，它本质上是安全、清洁和潜在的廉价的，它使用两种形式的氢作为原材料--供应充足的氘和可以从聚变过程中回收的氚。然而，氚是一种小而轻的气体分子，可以透过金属管道逸出。有必要找到一种方法来防止它的损失。DBD是一家位于英格兰西北部的专业工程、技术和咨询公司，它发明了一种优雅而创新的屏障方法来控制和管理氚渗透。它有可能防止氚在核聚变过程中的损失，其影响是它消除了氚损失的潜在经济和环境问题。TSB SMART竞赛的资助使DBD能够完成一个为期18个月的项目，以展示该技术，并招募新的工作人员来开展所需的工作，并获得专家资源提供协助。该技术将在项目结束后2年内投入商业使用。

It is beyond dispute that the world must find new, economical, sustainable ways to supply itsinhabitants’ ever-increasing demand for energy.Global energy consumption is set to triple by the end of the 21st century. The world still relieson fossil fuels for up to 90% of its energy needs (Worldwatch.org, 2013),however there will be slow decline in their supply for power generation from 2015 and thereare, as yet, very few safe and environmentally friendly alternatives which can replace it,despite the ongoing development of renewable replacements.Power generation from nuclear fusion could offer the prospect of an almost inexhaustiblesource of energy for future generations and, as a power generation method, it is inherentlysafe, clean and potentially cheap, using two forms of hydrogen as its raw materials -deuterium which is in abundant supply and tritium, which can be recycled from the fusionprocess.However, tritium is a small light gaseous molecule that can permeate through metal pipes andso escape. There is a need to find a way to prevent its loss.DBD, a specialist engineering, technical and advisory company based in north west England,has invented an elegant and innovative barrier method to control and manage tritiumpermeation. It has potential to prevent loss of tritium from the nuclear fusion process, with theimpact that it removes the potential economic and environmental issues of tritium loss.The award of a grant from TSB's SMART competition enables DBD to complete an 18months long project to demonstrate the technology and to recruit new staff to undertake thework required and to access specialist resources to assist. The technology will be ready forcommercial use within 2 years of the project end.